Sectors open, close and combine. Define the positions and staffing they need in 15-minute intervals, ready for tactical allocation.
Demand structure
Define positions, sectors and opening times.
Working positions
Start with each console or task. Add its qualifications, time-on-position limits and minimum rest before assignment.
Sectors
Group airspace into sectors, divisions and sub-sectors. Set instantaneous and hourly capacities, then combine or separate sectors for the planned demand.
Sector configurations
Choose the divisions, positions and staff needed. Each position supplies its own qualification requirements.
Sector openings
Give each quarter-hour a configuration. Define all 96 intervals to save the day’s opening plan.
Interactive example
Explore changing demand through the day.
Move the timeline. Watch the staffing requirement change. Switch between 15-minute and hourly views to see a short demand peak in context.
Sector opening · one operational day
Illustrative example
See the peaks between the hours.
Move through the day as sectors open, close and combine. Switch between 15-minute and hourly views to see the short peaks an hourly view can miss.
▲An hourly model cannot see a fifteen-minute peak. Sampled on the hour, this day is misread in4 of its 96 quarter-hours, including17:30–17:45, which needs 10positions while the hourly model shows 8.
The timeline scrolls sideways. Row labels stay put.
Enable JavaScript to move the playhead. The full day is drawn above.
Time02:00 – 02:15
Sector configurationBand-boxed BB1 sector open
Positions required2Executive ACC ×1 · Air ACC ×1
Controllers assigned2●Fully staffed
▲At sixty minutes the 02:00 hour is sampled once, at 02:00. Here that matches the quarter-hour underneath it.
1 sector
3 sectors
5 sectors
Positions required
Controllers assigned
Shortfall
Read this day as a table
The modelled sector opening, as eleven runs of sector configuration.
Time
Sector configuration
Sectors
Positions required
Controllers assigned
00:00 – 02:00
Three-sector split S3
3
6
6
02:00 – 05:00
Band-boxed BB
1
2
2
05:00 – 06:00
Two-sector split S2
2
4
4
06:00 – 07:00
Three-sector split S3
3
6
5–6 ▲ short
07:00 – 11:00
Four-sector split S4
4
8
8
11:00 – 13:00
Three-sector split S3
3
6
6
13:00 – 17:30
Four-sector split S4
4
8
7–8 ▲ short
17:30 – 17:45
Five-sector split S5
5
10
9 ▲ short
17:45 – 20:00
Four-sector split S4
4
8
8
20:00 – 22:00
Three-sector split S3
3
6
6
22:00 – 24:00
Two-sector split S2
2
4
4
Position-quarter-hours across the day
594
588 · 6 quarter-hours short
SectorAn ATC airspace sector covered by controllers on duty.
Sector openingA plan showing which sector configurations are open during the day and the working positions that need coverage.
Working positionAn operational ATC working position a controller occupies during a shift.
Band-boxingGrouping sectors in quiet periods so fewer controllers manage a larger area.
Carry sector demand into tactical allocation.
A 15-minute demand plan can represent several staffing levels within an hour. The tactical workbench uses the selected sector opening to identify the positions that need coverage.
Supervisors choose tactical intervals of 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The selected interval must respect each working position’s maximum duration.
Configuration
Keep position definitions consistent.
Unit-specific positions
A working position must be attached to a unit before it appears in that unit’s sector configuration.
Linked records
Sectors and openings cannot be deleted while configurations or tactical rosters still reference them. Update the dependent records before retiring a planning definition.
Plan a demonstration around your sectors.
Start with a 20-minute discovery call about your sector openings, position demand and staffing requirements. We’ll then arrange a demonstration tailored to your priorities.
